How does God talk to us?  I have been a christian for several years now; I pray to Him everyday; I read my Bible and go to church, but I do not hear God.  I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.

Sincerely,
Feeling Deaf

Dear Feeling Deaf,

God speaks to us through His Word.  If we want to know God’s desire for our life, we must use the Bible to get our instructions.  Faith comes from the Word (Rom 10:17), and the Bible contains all the information we need for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3).  If we want to understand what God wants for us, we can find the truth in the sum of His Word (Ps 119:160).  Prophecies and visions are no longer given to people directly (1 Cor 13:8).  Instead, God speaks to us through the teachings of His Son (Heb 1:1).  It is normal for our emotions and desires to send us conflicting messages; that is exactly why God tells us to not trust ourselves or any "voice" that some churches tell us to listen for (Pr 3:5).  Trust God’s Word, and it will be a lamp to your feet (Ps 119:105).

Are we predestinated to be saved according to Acts 13:48 and Ephesians 1:4-5 amongst others?  Is Calvinism true about predestination?

Sincerely,
Chosen By God

Dear Chosen By God,

We here at AYP firmly believe in election, grace, and predestination because they are all terms clearly mentioned in the Bible.  The important questions to ask are:

1. How are we elected?
2. Who receives grace?
3. What is predestined?

Many false doctrines have been created because people failed to ask these questions.  Calvinism (a very popular false doctrine that has infected many churches) teaches that people are elected by God without any conditions and that it is impossible to choose to serve God; it is all up to God.  It also teaches that grace can never be lost and that it is impossible to fall away even if you become an axe-murderer or live a homosexual lifestyle.  Calvinism also teaches that God predestined specific people throughout history to be saved and that only those specific individuals will go to heaven – everyone else is lost by default.  (For further information on Calvinism, please read “Calvin And Sobs”.)  This is an example of how the words ‘election’, ‘grace’, and ‘predestination’ have been abused when we didn’t clarify their biblical meanings.

God teaches that He has elected certain people to be saved.  John 6:44-45 says that God draws people to Him through the Bible.  When we listen to what the Bible says, we are called by God.  2 Thess 2:14 makes it even clearer when it says that we are called through the Gospel. ‘Called’ is another word for ‘elected’.

Those who turn to Christ will receive grace.  ‘Grace’ means ‘unmerited or undeserved favor’; grace is a gift you haven’t earned… in this case, it is the gift of salvation.  We receive grace when we live by faith (Eph 2:8).  Jesus died and paid a price none of us could ever pay – the price of our sins.  When we walk according to His teachings, His blood cleanses us from sin (1 Jn 1:7).  A faithful life isn’t a perfect life, but it is a life that is guided by God’s Word (Rom 10:17).

The Bible also teaches that God predestined something to be saved.  ‘Predestined’ means ‘to set the limits’.  Before God made anything, He set the limits of who would be saved and who wouldn’t (Eph 1:5).  God said that those in Christ will be saved (2 Tim 1:9).  Everyone who is washed in the blood of Jesus will be saved – He is the only way to God (Jhn 14:6).  God predestined only a certain group of people to be saved – the church (Acts 20:28).  The question we must all ask ourselves is: am I a part of God’s church?

     How many different types of works does the Bible mention?  I'm having a hard time figuring out when something is physical work, spiritual work, or some other type of work.

Sincerely,
Hard At Work

Dear Hard At Work,

As a general rule, there are two basic types of works talked about in the New Testament.  The works of the law are perfect works, i.e. a life without sinning.  These are the type of works that Paul discussed in Romans.  We cannot be saved by perfect works because all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23, Rom 3:28).

The other basic type of work found in the New Testament is the work of faith.  Works of faith are when we serve God based upon our trust in Him and desire to become more like Him.  Works of faith are a requirement for salvation – it is impossible to have faith without some sort of action that shows your trust (Jas 2:17-20).  Faithful works aren't perfect, but they show obedience and loyalty.

In the New Testament especially, almost all circumstances can be broken down into those two categories.  However, as always, context is final judge.

How do some christians debate that the earth as a planet is merely 5,000 years old?

Sincerely,
Looking Later

Dear Looking Later,

There is quite a bit of scientific evidence that backs the Bible timeline for a young earth.  According to the Bible, the Earth is around 6,000 years old.  This was accepted by the scientific community until not long before Darwin came on the scene.  Darwinian evolution required the world to be billions of years old to prove his theory that species evolve slowly over time.  Since evolutionists dominate the public voice for the scientific community (even though many scientists do believe the Bible and do believe in a young earth), all you ever hear is that the world is billions of years old – we are never told about the evidence that supports a young Earth.

There are many evidences for a young earth.  One piece of evidence is the Cambrian explosion – a layer of rock that show an immense variety of fossils.  The Cambrian explosion in the fossil record shows that there was a point in history when millions of species exploded onto the scene – the exact opposite of evolution.  However, the Cambrian explosion can easily be explained by the worldwide flood of Noah’s day (Gen 7:11-12).  A worldwide flood explains why there was an explosion of dead things under tons of mud, silt, and rock.

Another example is the distance between the Earth and the moon.  The moon is slowly receding from the Earth at a measurable rate.  With some basic math, we can see that it is impossible for the Earth to be billions of years old – if it was, the moon would have been so close that it would have destroyed all life on the planet!

These are just two simple evidences, but there are thousands more that space doesn’t permit us to list.  Groups of scientists like the people at answersingenesis.org specialize in showcasing the evidences for a young Earth and the accuracy of the Bible account of the Creation.

How are creeds different than publications preachers write?

Sincerely,
Looking At Leaflets

Dear Looking At Leaflets,

Religious publications, commentaries, tracts, and other religious writings are not in and of themselves wrong until a church or denomination turns that document into an essential element of their faith – that is what a creed is.  A creed is someone’s commentary on Scripture that is given equal weight to the Scriptures.

It doesn’t matter whether it agrees with the Scriptures or not – the wording is man-made and, therefore, not exactly as God intended.  A creed draws the lines of fellowship around a human writing.  A creed is a statement of faith that superimposes itself over the Bible.  Now, instead of using the Word of God as the guide for what makes a congregation and a christian faithful – we use a creed to decide what verses and concepts are (and are not) important.  We have no right to do that!  God specifically said that we don’t get to decide what is or isn’t important from His Word; we must take the whole thing, no more, no less (Rev 22:18-19, Ps. 119:160).  If God wanted mankind to use creeds as measures of faith and fellowship – He would have given us one.